Cire readied the axe as she circled the troll. Their eyes in a stare down as Jasmine waited to strike. Cire g the shoulder she attacked, its wounds still not healing from the axe. She was thankful that the strahought ahead.

  Cire looked for Jasmine before she smiled, she had a good idea. She’d bait the troll like it did to her. She raised the axe and ran towards the troll. As she expected, the troll looked around for Jasmi filed its arm before c its heel and bending onto one knee. Cire ran past the troll before turning to ugh at the creature.

  This got the proper response as it screamed at Cire’s taunt. Fog solely on the girl as Cire backed up. That smile still on her face as the troll attempted to luowards her. Jasmine, like the professional she was, capitalized on it by slig at the troll’s knees. Cutting off the power of the lunge as the troll nded on its face. Cire was immediately oroll’s other shoulder as she hacked into it. The troll screamed bloody murder as she did.

  She backed up, uo get the axe out as the troll forced itself onto its feet. She had to admit, it was resilient. She gave one more hearty ugh as the troll’s face torted in anger. It opes mouth to scream or say something, but Elsie with a fireball. The creature’s mouth was encased in fme as Elsie’s magic bur.

  “Nice shot!” Cire shouted as she found her sword. She grasped it and ran towards the troll as it danced in a panic to put out the fire. She feinted an attack again before rolling to dodge the creature’s kick. She immediately threw the st of the potions at its feet, setting its skin on fire as Jasmiabbed its eye.

  Cire looked at the state of the creature as its wounds were healing slower and its veins looked to be darker. Jasmine’s poison was taking its toll on the beast. Its bloodshot eye followed Cire as she moved, uo keep up with the padin’s movements now. She gave it another smile before she stabbed it in the knee.

  It wailed before it was struck by lightning. Its movements were slowed and its voice weakening. The four were making progress on the creature and Cire could only hope the stranger was taking care of the other one. She left her sword in the creature’s knee as she grabbed onto the axe. She pushed off of the creature, freeing the axe as she rolled away.

  The troll was on its khe fight in its eyes leaving as it fell forward. Its head smmed into the ground as Cire rushed at it. She let out a war cry as she brought the axe down on its neck. She hacked and hacked at the troll as her anger was released at the creature. For aiming at Elsie, for taunting her, for nearly killing her. She let her anger out as she hacked at the creature’s neck.

  She ulled out of it by Jasmine as she stopped Cire’s arm. She looked tired, but she had a smile. “Cire… it’s dead.”

  Cire let out a sigh as she set the axe down. She leaned on Jasmine for a moment as she recovered her breath. She looked at the creature and nearly puked. She had nearly hacked the troll’s ne two, its blood and flesh spttered around her. She shuddered as she retrieved her sword from the troll’s knee.

  “We should che that woman.” Cire said, pulling her sword out and sheathing it. “We o return her axe.”

  Jasmine nodded as the two ran back to the cave. What they found there shocked them. The woman was not only victorious over the troll, but did so barehanded. Cire could feel her stomach roll at the sight. The troll’s face was smashed in as the woman was still pummeling it. Her punches caused the ground to rumble.

  “Hey! It’s dead!” Cire shouted to her. Her eyes locked on Cire, those glowing red eyes filled with hate. Cire froze at the sight as she felt that primal fear again, before the woman jumped off the troll. She moved towards the two as Jasmine readied herself.

  “Axe.” The woman said, holding out her hand. Cire ulled out of her shod nodded. She approached her cautiously as the clouds parted. The moon’s light illumihe woman, giving Cire a better look at her. She had wolf and bear pelts as clothes, no armor to be seen, and white hair. Her eyes wahe muscur body, notig scars aanned skin as she did. Cire would be reag much differently in any other sario. This woman was hot.

  “Here. Thank you for helping us.” She said, handing the axe over. The woman grunted before turning away from Cire. Cire watched as she walked away from them and away from the troll’s corpse. She walked bato the forest in the opposite dire of the other troll’s corpse. Cire was fused as she watched her disappear into the darkness.

  “What the fuck?” Elsie asked as they approached the two. Her eyes widened as she saw the troll’s corpse. “Did that woman do this?”

  Cire nodded as she went over to the corpse. She didn’t want to risk anything so she stabbed its neck. It didn’t react, proving it was dead. She looked back to the other three as Jasmine shrugged.

  “She looked like she was from up north. There’s tribes of women who dress like and look like her.” Jasmine said, as she approached Cire. She opened her arms to hug her before whispering to her. “I’m so gd you’re safe. You looked so beaten up and I feared you died for a moment.”

  Cire’s shoulders eased as she hugged Jasmine back. “Yeah… don’t even tell me what my arm looked like. I don’t even want to imagi.” She joked back. “Let's fet about that stranger and go to bed. I’m tired.”

  Jasmine nodded as the twins joihe hug. “We’ll get the corpses tomorrow. Lily will have food for us.” She said as they broke up.

  “O-okay. But that woman… she just ran into the woods. Is she going to be okay?” Ana asked as they parted.

  “Look what she did to that troll Ana.” Elsie said, grabbing her sister’s hand. “She handle herself.”

  The four walked the hour long trek back to their carriage, tired and out of mana to find Lily. She had a fire going and was roasting some of the meat the farm ave them. She was smiling to herself as she cooked and prepped the meat.

  “Fuuuck that smells incredible.” Cire said as her stomach rumbled. Her mouth watered as her knees gave out. She fell to her knees and was caught by Jasmine.

  “Surprised you made it this far.” Jasmine said in her ear as the twins sat besides her. “We’ll take care of you now.”

  “Not that way… too tired but we’ll feed you.” Elsie said with a sly smile. She rested her head on Cire’s shoulder as Ana did the same. Jasmiled behind her before Cire leaned back. She took the twins with her as they fell onto Jasmine’s p.

  “Y-yeah… I o do more cardio.” Ana said, her breath still bored.

  “I offered to train you.” Cire said as she ed her arms around them. Her eyelids fluttered as they felt heavy. “But tomorrow. We’ll start tomorrow.” She whispered.

  Cire fell asleep in Jasmine’s p as the three watched over her. Jasmine finally rexed her shoulders as she recalled the state Cire was in. She firmed with Ana how close she was to death after being struck. She had 3 health points left after that attack hit her. Her arm bent in ways it shouldn’t have and even made Jasmine queasy to remember.

  “Goddess… She acts like she didn’t almost just die.” Elsie said as she traced Cire’s cheek. “I felt dread when she didn’t move at first…”

  Ana nodded, “I panicked when I saw her health. I-I couldn’t even use my ward. I was s-so panicked and focused on her health.” She said, ying her head on Cire’s chest. Her heartbeat soothed Ana.

  “It’s okay Ana. You did fantastically despite that.” Elsie said she knew how her sister felt. The burden of a healer was heavy and she could see Ana start to shake.

  “True. You all did.” Jasmine said, staring down at the sleeping padin. “I’m equally mad and thankful to that stranger. She ruined our pn but also took care of a troll by herself. Her axe too… It seemed different. It was able to cut off the troll’s healing.”

  “Was it ented?” Lily asked, with ptes of food in her hand. She hahe food to Jasmine as the twins moved. Their huook over.

  “Could have been… She was from the north. Had white hair a clothing. I don’t know how the tribes up there would mahat.” Jasmine said, eyeing the food. She let the twins take from the pte first before digging in. Lily had skewered the meat on sticks and cooked them over the fire. The meat practically fell apart in her mouth as she ate.

  “Iing… I’ll ask the townspeople tomorrow about it. Maybe they know something about her?” Lily asked. Jasmine just shrugged as she hovered the meat over Cire’s face. She stirred in her sleep at the smell of food. Jasmine giggled as Cire sleepily ate from the skewer. She’s gd Cire survived. She wouldn’t know what to do with herself if she lost her.

  The party ate in silence as they thought over the st couple of hours. The strange woman eared, the near death of their lover and the troll fight. Every one of them had something to think about as they sat around the fire. Finally, after eating their fill, they lifted their sleeping lover into the carriage and joined her in slumber.

  Cire:

  Level: 6

  HP: 18/23

  Mana: 11/11

  Exp: 06

  Strength: 10    Magic: 1

  Dexterity: 9   Resistance: 12

  stitution: 7   Wisdom: 8

  Charisma: 7    Divinity: 9

  Defense: 8

  New Skills:

  Lesser Taunt: Distract your enemies with a shout. Enemies with less than or equal wisdom or resistance will redirect their attacks to you. Cooldown 150s.

  Bestower’s Love: Lovers in your aura increase your strength: Increases the area of your aura and increases your strength. (1 = +1, 2 = +2, 3 = +3, 4 = +5)

  Elsie:

  Level: 6

  HP: 18/13

  Mana: 05/23

  Exp: 10

  Strength: 2    Magic: 14

  Dexterity: 3   Resistance: 11

  stitution: 5   Wisdom: 9

  Charisma: 11    Divinity: 3

  Defense: 9

  New Skills:

  Firebolt: Upgraded form of fireball. Increased the damage of your fireball and its speed. Damage done is based off yic stat. Cooldown 5s

  Bestowed Twin’s Telepathy: Through your love, you unicate with your sister. unicate with your twin through telepathy. Passive

  Lightning Trap: Set a deadly trap of lightning. Leave a ruhat explodes on tact with anybody not a part of your party. Damage done based on magid cooldown 200s

  Anastasia:

  Level: 6

  HP: 18/16

  Mana: 00/20

  Exp: 10

  Strength: 2    Magic: 1

  Dexterity: 3  Resistance: 14

  stitution: 5   Wisdom: 9

  Charisma: 5    Divinity: 14

  Defense: 13

  New Skills:

  Weak Healing Totem: Create a totem of healing light. Totem heals allies in its area periodically. Health of the totem is ? your resistaat, pulse is every 5 seds. Cooldown 200s

  Bestowed Twin’s Telepathy: Through your love, you unicate with your sister. unicate with your twin through telepathy. Passive

  Resistance Buff: Buff an ally’s highest defeat. Apply a buff to an ally that increases their defense or resistarength increases with diviat and sts for 120s. Cooldown 500s

  Jasmine:

  Level: 16

  HP: 28/23

  Mana: 03/16

  Exp: 01

  Strength: 14    Magic: 1

  Dexterity: 21  Resistance: 10

  stitution: 6   Wisdom: 7

  Charisma: 12    Divinity: 0

  Defense: 14

  New Skill:

  Bestowed Vengeful Lover: Retaliate against those who attack your lover. Striking a foe with this skill triples if the target attacked your lover or a bestowed lover. Damage done based on strength. Cooldown 30s